What makes a successful head coach? Or perhaps a better question is... what makes a once successful head coach suddenly forget how to coach?
Last week, the New Orleans Hornets announced that the services of their head coach and former NBA coach of the year, Byron Scott, would no longer be needed. The Hornets had gotten off to a less than satisfactory 3-6 start and someone had to be held accountable. It certainly couldn't be ownership.
Scott has since been replaced by Jeff Bower, the team's general manager. Tim Floyd, who coached the Hornets to a 41-41 record in 2003-4, has also been added back to the staff.
The Bower-Floyd combo hasn't fared much better since taking over for Scott. In their home debut, the Hornets lost to Portland by twelve. In that game, they lost their superstar Chris Paul for up to 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle. In their first Paul-less game of the season, the Hornets lost to the Atlanta Hawks by 23.
Immediately after the Scott firing, I sent a text to DJ Arthritic Semitic, a New Orleans resident and Paul aficionado. I joked that by releasing Scott, the Hornets had gotten rid of their second best player. Puzzled by the move, he chuckled, knowing that statement wasn't all that far from the truth. Well, at least New Orleans still has their Saints.
The reality is that aside from Paul, the Hornets don't have much in the way of talent, as witnessed by their two most recent drubbings. David West is a serviceable power forward and former All-Star, but he's a product of the system. Take him off the Hornets and he's Shawn Marion without Steve Nash. This off-season, the Hornets traded 10 points and 10 rebounds a game (Tyson Chandler) for 14 points and 10 rebounds a game (Emeka Okafor), a move that hardly strikes fear into the hearts of the Western Conference elite. And it wasn't Byron Scott who wrote a $13 million check for Peja Stojakovic who's averaging under nine points a game. That was ownership.
Last week, the New Orleans Hornets announced that the services of their head coach and former NBA coach of the year, Byron Scott, would no longer be needed. The Hornets had gotten off to a less than satisfactory 3-6 start and someone had to be held accountable. It certainly couldn't be ownership.
Scott has since been replaced by Jeff Bower, the team's general manager. Tim Floyd, who coached the Hornets to a 41-41 record in 2003-4, has also been added back to the staff.
The Bower-Floyd combo hasn't fared much better since taking over for Scott. In their home debut, the Hornets lost to Portland by twelve. In that game, they lost their superstar Chris Paul for up to 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle. In their first Paul-less game of the season, the Hornets lost to the Atlanta Hawks by 23.
Immediately after the Scott firing, I sent a text to DJ Arthritic Semitic, a New Orleans resident and Paul aficionado. I joked that by releasing Scott, the Hornets had gotten rid of their second best player. Puzzled by the move, he chuckled, knowing that statement wasn't all that far from the truth. Well, at least New Orleans still has their Saints.
The reality is that aside from Paul, the Hornets don't have much in the way of talent, as witnessed by their two most recent drubbings. David West is a serviceable power forward and former All-Star, but he's a product of the system. Take him off the Hornets and he's Shawn Marion without Steve Nash. This off-season, the Hornets traded 10 points and 10 rebounds a game (Tyson Chandler) for 14 points and 10 rebounds a game (Emeka Okafor), a move that hardly strikes fear into the hearts of the Western Conference elite. And it wasn't Byron Scott who wrote a $13 million check for Peja Stojakovic who's averaging under nine points a game. That was ownership.
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